Balancing rice and resilience: a smarter way to farm in the lower Mekong

Rice farming is the backbone of the Lower Mekong Basin, feeding millions and driving economies but comes with high water use and methane emissions. Once seen as sustainable, traditional practices now face mounting climate and socio-economic pressures.

To tackle this, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) has introduced Intermittent Irrigation – a game-changing technique that reduces water use and methane emissions by alternating between irrigation and drainage. Detailed guidance on this method, published in December 2024  outlines a practical path to farmers toward a more sustainable future.

Aligned with the MRC Basin Development Strategy (BDS), the Member Countries have prioritized joint projects in their National Indicative Plans (NIPs) to foster transboundary cooperation. These projects bring together two or more countries to tackle shared challenges – ones that no single nation could effectively address alone.

Two key joint projects have been prioritized:

• 9C-9T Joint Project (Cambodia–Thailand) focuses on shared flood and drought risks. Key outcomes include a risk mitigation strategy, master plan, gender and vulnerability assessment, and introduction of Nature-based Solutions (NbS). A transboundary early warning system and upscaling strategy are underway, with next steps involving climate risk assessments and a GCF funding proposal.
• 3S Joint Project (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Viet Nam) targets sustainable water use in the Sekong, Sesan, and Srepok basins. Achievements include a basin diagnostic, shared priorities, and atlas. Work now focuses on a master plan, governance structure, and a joint GCF concept note.

These efforts aim to enhance water security, ecosystem resilience, and regional cooperation amid intensifying climate impacts.

Author : Mekong River Commission (MRC)